In the exercise of their functions, certain professionals need electronic and/or computational equipment which, together with the corresponding electrical power supply (the battery), they have to wear, preferably in such a way as to leave their hands free. It is known in the prior art to place this equipment in bags or pouches fixed removably to predetermined locations on the garment, but also to provide the garment with multiple pockets suitable for holding the various items, these bags and/or pockets being arranged at various positions on the garment in such a way that the weight of the equipment is distributed and thus easier to carry. Various different forms of specialized garment designed for this purpose are known: see for example documents U.S. Pat. No. 5,831,198, U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,782; also, document FR 05 05821 by the Applicant Company discusses such a garment. For simplicity, this text will refer to this type of garment as an electronic garment.
However, the electrical and/or computational interconnection of equipment distributed in differing locations on the garment is a problem with this type of garment. In known specialized garments, these electrical and/or computational interconnections between the items are adapted to the exact configuration of the garment; in other words, for example, garments of the same type but made for different sizes are given interconnections of appropriate different lengths.
In at least some circumstances, these professionals may also need to wear a specialized garment such as a protective garment (e.g. for thermal protection, ballistic protection and/or protection against edged weapons, etc.) while simultaneously wearing their specialized electrical and/or computational garment. Although the function of such a garment may not be to protect, for simplicity this text will refer to it as a protective garment. Wearing a protective garment of this kind is a serious problem because it is usually thick and relatively inflexible, so that at first sight it would not seem feasible to wear it together with an electronic garment.
To these considerations should be added the fact that the user must have permanent immediate access to at least the majority of the electronic and/or computational devices he is carrying.
Lastly, it should also be observed that, in at least some areas of use of such garments (principally the army and the police), both the protective garment and more especially the heavy electronic garment must fit the user exactly so that he or she can run or make sudden movements (such as dropping to the floor or standing up) without the equipment shifting about and possibly making a noise.